Product Description

He was the Sultan of Swat. The Caliph of Clout. The Wizard of Whack. The Bambino. And simply, to his teammates, the Big Bam. From the award-winning author of the New York Times bestseller Ted Williams comes the thoroughly original, definitively ambitious, and exhilaratingly colorful biography of the largest legend ever to loom in baseball—and in the history of organized sports.

“[Montville is] one of America’s best sportswriters.” —Chicago Tribune

Babe Ruth was more than baseball’s original superstar. For eighty-five years, he has remained the sport’s reigning titan. He has been named Athlete of the Century . . . more than once. But who was this large, loud, enigmatic man? Why is so little known about his childhood, his private life, and his inner thoughts? In The Big Bam, Leigh Montville, whose recent New York Times bestselling biography of Ted Williams garnered glowing reviews and offered an exceptionally intimate look at Williams’s life, brings his trademark touch to this groundbreaking, revelatory portrait of the Babe.

Based on newly discovered documents and interviews—including pages from Ruth’s personal scrapbooks —The Big Bam traces Ruth’s life from his bleak childhood in Baltimore to his brash entrance into professional baseball, from Boston to New York and into the record books as the world’s most explosive slugger and cultural luminary. Montville explores every aspect of the man, paying particular attention to the myths that have always surrounded him. Did he really hit the “called shot” homer in the 1932 World Series? Were his home runs really “the farthest balls ever hit” in countless ballparks around the country? Was he really part black—making him the first African American professional baseball superstar? And was Ruth the high-octane, womanizing, heavy-drinking “fatso” of legend . . . or just a boyish, rudderless quasi-orphan who did, in fact, take his training and personal conditioning quite seriously?

At a time when modern baseball is grappling with hyper-inflated salaries, free agency, and assorted controversies, The Big Bam brings back the pure glory days of the game. Leigh Montville operates at the peak of his abilities, exploring Babe Ruth in a way that intimately, and poignantly, illuminates a most remarkable figure.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45755 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-01
• Released on: 2007-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

From Booklist
In this day of overamped salaries, statistics, and physiques, it's useful to be reminded of the singular talent and impact Babe Ruth brought to baseball during his career (1914-35). He owned most of the hitting records for decades, including single-season and career home runs--and all this during the "dead ball" era. Even now, the baseball fan can only be awed by what Ruth accomplished, not to mention the adulation he engendered. And if Robert Creamer's highly readable Babe (1974) is still the benchmark biography, Montville (Ted Williams, 2004) brings fresh observations to his subject, one being that Ruth probably suffered from attention-deficit disorder, which accounts for his inexhaustible energy for everything from baseball to food to alcohol to sex, not necessarily in that order. And in his vivid account of the years Ruth spent at St. Mary's orphanage in Baltimore, Montville gives readers the measure of what made the man. Montville has also carefully sifted the factual from the hearsay, leaving us with a volume that's reliable, readable, and deserving of a place in the sports or American culture collection. Alan Moores
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

A comprehensive look at a gargantuan life. People
 
Montville is refreshingly nonjudgmental about his superstar subject.  First-rate biography. Los Angeles Times Book Review
 
Crisp analogies and astute observations, combined with a fluid writing style, are Leigh Montville s strengths in this definitive biography of the Splendid Splinter.  Montville s writing is rich and full, like a Ted Williams swing.  He connects solidly. A raw, no-holds-barred view of [Williams s] life. Tampa Tribune
 
An engaging, fascinating read. San Diego Tribune

Ted Williams is not only a first-rate sports biography, but also a first-rate biography, period. Baltimore Sun

Review
“A comprehensive look at a gargantuan life.” —People
 
“Montville is refreshingly nonjudgmental about his superstar subject.  First-rate biography.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review
 
“Crisp analogies and astute observations, combined with a fluid writing style, are Leigh Montville’s strengths in this definitive biography of the Splendid Splinter.  Montville’s writing is rich and full, like a Ted Williams swing.  He connects solidly. A raw, no-holds-barred view of [Williams’s] life.” —Tampa Tribune
 
“An engaging, fascinating read.” —San Diego Tribune

“Ted Williams is not only a first-rate sports biography, but also a first-rate biography, period.” —Baltimore Sun

Customer Reviews

A truly Ruthian effort from Montville
It takes some nerve to write a biography of Ruth, given that there are already 20+ books in which he's the main focus. However, Montville has done more than find a niche in a crowded field - he has written what should be remembered as one of the best, most comprehensive, and authoritative biographies of baseball's biggest legend.

From the beginning, Montville makes it clear that he's not going to fall into the trap of speculating about Babe's early days, a trap into which too many biographers tend to fall. The opening chapter deals with his time before the famous years he spent at St. Mary's in a creative but no-nonsense manner that sets the tone for the rest of the book.

As he did in his biography of Ted Williams, Montville has done exhaustive research to find voices from Ruth's day, in an effort to create a full picture of that era. He freely discusses past efforts at chronicling Ruth, praising especially Creamer's book, the one to which I would compare this effort. He knows he's not breaking a lot of new ground, and he has obviously done his work about what has already been written.

The book is comprehensive without being boring or overlong, and even those already knowledgable about Ruth's outsized life will likely still learn something. Montville's writing is crisp, and the pages move very quickly for a biography.

This is an oustanding biography worthy of its subject, one that will be enjoyed by even those who aren't normally fans of baseball. Ruth was much bigger than the game, and I think this book will appeal to more than just diehard fans. Montville is now batting a perfect 2-for-2 when it comes to chronicling the biggest names in the game.

The Definitive Biography of Babe Ruth
Leigh Montville provided us with the definitive biography of Ted Williams, and has now provided us with another masterpiece on Babe Ruth. I have several biographies of Ruth, but this one is the best. Montville does a wonderful job in describing how a crude individual from the city of Baltimore's St. Mary's Industrial School who was denied many things in his younger years was like a beagle turned loose in a swamp when he got out on his own to become a baseball player. The nocturnal delights of the big city were beckoning Ruth to burn the candle at both ends. Oh, but what a wonderful glow! Marriage proved to be a failure for Ruth since he didn't have the self discipline to live up to the vows. The trade to the Yankees to begin the 1920 season provided The Babe with more of the nighttime prowling he enjoyed, but the statistics he garnered proved he was in a league of his own in regard to battering a baseball. The 1925 season was a low point for Ruth as he fought with manager Miller Huggins, and was out of shape due to his off the field activities. He turned over a new leaf to start the 1926 season, and with Lou Gehrig now batting behind him Ruth had his best years still ahead of him. Montville does a masterful job describing the sad decline of Ruth in his post baseball life when no job opened up to him of any consequence with the Yankees or with any other team. Hunting, fishing, bowling, and golf were his passions once his baseball career was over, but he never lost his longing to return to the diamond in a meaningful capacity. That chance, however, never came. The Babe was only 53 when he died on August 16, 1948. On page 355 the author lists Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and Christy Mathewson as the first inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame in addition to Ruth. Walter Johnson should also have been listed. This book on Ruth in addition to the recent book entitled "Clemente" by David Maraniss have to be two of the very best biographies on baseball or any other individual for this year.

If you love baseball and The Babe don't miss this excellent book!!
After reading Robert Creamer's wonderful biography of The Babe, I didn't truly believe that there would be another one that would ever even approach it. However, Leigh Montville has written and researched a book that comes very close to at least equaling it. Apparently, it was also based upon some recently discovered sources such as letters, etc. There are also many wonderful photographs, some rarely seen or published before in any form.
For anyone who really loves baseball and The Babe, any new material or facts or photos of the legendary, one-and-only Bambino all combine to make The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth a must have for any fan of Babe Ruth, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and baseball itself. Highly recommended!!